2015 Travelers Championship Spring Internship Program TOURNAMENT OVERVIEW
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2015 Travelers Championship Spring Internship Program TOURNAMENT OVERVIEW In 2014, the Travelers Championship once again provided world class golf paired with a variety of special events, all in an effort to raise money for charity. Since the tournament’s inception in 1952, over $31 million has been surpassed in charitable giving. The Travelers Championship is the PGA TOUR’s only stop in Connecticut and has been a tradition for golf fans, families and the business community. In 2014, the tournament showcased some of the world’s best golfers who competed for a $6.2 million purse. Streelman shot a remarkable round of 64 – highlighted by a back nine score of 28 and 7 straight birdies to close out his championship round. Streelman is the first PGA TOUR winner in recorded history to birdie the final seven holes of a tournament. The event played host to thousands of fans throughout the week and more than 4,000 volunteers donated their time. The Travelers Championship continued to serve as an effective platform for business development, a great family event, and most importantly, a successful charitable fundraiser. 2 TOURNAMENT KEY FACTS Dates: June 22-28, 2015 Place: TPC River Highlands, Cromwell, CT Course Layout: Par 70, 6,841 yards Total Purse: $6.4 million Winner’s Share: $1.152 million FedExCup Points: 500 for the Winner Defending Champion: Kevin Streelman TV Broadcast: Golf Channel (Thurs., Fri., Sat. &Sun.) CBS Sports (Sat. & Sun.) Past Champions: Ken Duke - 2013 Marc Leishman - 2012 Fredrik Jacobson - 2011 Bubba Watson – 2010 Kenny Perry – 2009 Stewart Cink – 2008 & 1997 Hunter Mahan – 2007 J.J. Henry – 2006 3 2014 TOURNAMENT HIGHLIGHTS 4 TRAVELERS TITLE EXTENSION PRESS CONFERENCE On Thursday, February 27, 2014, Travelers held a press conference at the Connecticut Convention Center to celebrate their title extension agreement of Connecticut’s PGA TOUR event. Travelers had been working closely with the PGA TOUR in the year leading up to this event on an extension that would go through 2024. Media, sponsors, vendors, charities, volunteers and key partners gathered to hear speakers discuss the future of Connecticut’s PGA TOUR event. The program focused on what this tournament means both to the community and the benefitting charities. The speakers included: • Jay Fishman, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Travelers • Andy Bessette, Executive Vice President & Chief Administrative Officer, Travelers • Tim Finchem, Commissioner, PGA TOUR • Dannel P. Malloy, Governor, State of Connecticut • Nathan Grube, Tournament Director, Travelers Championship 5 PRE-TOURNAMENT EVENTS MEDIA DAY On Tuesday, April 29, 2014, the Travelers Championship hosted Media Day at TPC River Highlands. The morning kicked off with the MetroHartford Alliance's Rising Star Breakfast, where more than 150 business professionals from the Greater Hartford area were on hand to hear a question and answer session with defending champion Ken Duke and ESPN personality Chris Berman. The breakfast concluded with the annual Wounded Warrior Club Fitting. Callaway Golf worked with each warrior at the practice facility to fit them for a new set of custom clubs. After the breakfast, more than 100 local and national media attended a press conference with Ken Duke led again by Chris Berman. A question and answer program lasted about thirty minutes, which was followed by a light lunch and one-on-one media interviews with Duke. After the press conference, the media were sent out in foursomes to play TPC River Highlands in a shamble format. The day concluded with dinner and awards following play. THE FIRST TEE OF CONNECTICUT CHARITY CLASSIC As part of the Travelers Championship Charity Series, the fourth annual First Tee Charity Classic presented by Webster Private Bank, Stanley Black & Decker and Walmart was held on Sunday, June 1, 2014 at TPC River Highlands. The event featured amateur foursomes with special appearances from local celebrities and junior members from The First Tee of Connecticut. Local celebrities included Rob Dibble, Al Terzi, Joe Zone, Hall of Fame UCONN Men’s Coach Jim Calhoun, and UCONN Women’s Associate Head Coach Chris Dailey. BLUMSHAPIRO 5K FOR CHARITY The annual BlumShapiro 5K for Charity was held on Saturday, June 8, 2014. The event attracted more than 300 runners to TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut who took part in the Kids Fun Run or 5K Road Race. 45 TOURNAMENT WEEK EVENTS AETNA TOURNAMENT PLAYERS PRO-AM On Monday, June 16th, 112 participants had the unique opportunity to play alongside PGA TOUR professionals and their caddies on the tournament course during the Aetna Tournament Players Pro-Am on Monday afternoon. FARMINGTON BANK FAN & FAMILY DAY On Tuesday, the tournament hosted Farmington Bank Family Day, a fun-filled day of free golf activities. New this year, the Farmington Bank Family Day showcased Chris Cote’s Golf Shop. With the support of the Connecticut Section PGA, the event featured free ten- minute expert instruction to golfers of all ages and skill levels. The Connecticut Section PGA also brought Golfaroo, a large blow up dragon that kids hit golf balls toward. OPERATION SHOWER On Tuesday morning, 41 expectant and new mothers whose spouses are deployed members of the Navy, Air Force and Army were showered with gifts and appreciation during a group baby shower with an “All Aboard Baby” theme. The shower made possible by presenting sponsor ConnectiCare®. TRAVELERS CELEBRITY PRO-AM Thousands of fans came out to TPC River Highlands on Wednesday to watch some of their favorite celebrities play golf alongside PGA TOUR professionals in the Travelers Celebrity Pro-Am. The event is strongly supported by celebrities wanting to give back and generate awareness for the Travelers Championship and charities throughout the region. • Chris Berman, ESPN • Nick Bonino, NHL Hockey Player • Jim Calhoun, Basketball Hall of Famer •Doug Flutie, Heisman Trophy Winner 56 TOURNAMENT WEEK EVENTS WOMEN’S DAY PRESENTED BY TRAVELERS The sixth annual Women’s Day presented by Travelers was held on Thursday at TPC River Highlands. The Pro-Am Tent was full of approximately 500 women who networked while enjoying breakfast. Hosted by Fox CT’s Alison Morris, the program began with a cooking demonstration by Celebrity Chef Ming Tsai. Following this segment, Arianna Huffington, the cofounder and editor in chief of the Huffington Post Media Group addressed the crowd highlighting her new book, Thrive and the importance of sleep and work life balance. POWERSTATION EVENTS CONCERT SERIES FEATURING LITTLE RIVER BAND Following the second round of play on Friday, Little River Band performed a concert in the SUBWAY® Fan Zone. The Australian rock band played an hour long concert for fans. The concert was sponsored by Powerstation Events. As one of the most successful bands in Australia’s history, Little River Band has had tremendous success in the U.S. as well, earning 13 U.S. Top 40 hits, including “Reminiscing,” “Lady,” “Lonesome Loser,” “The Night Owls,” and many more. Their albums “Sleeper Catcher,” and “First Under the Wire” both went platinum in the late 1970s, while albums “Diamantina Cocktail” and “Time Exposure” were certified gold. The band has sold more than 25 million records worldwide. POWERSTATION EVENTS CONCERT SERIES FEATURING Following the third round of play on Saturday, fans were invited to rock the Fan Zone with Jefferson Starship. The band played music that brought fans back to the 70s with hits that brought fans back in time. Jefferson Starship is an iconic psychedelic rock group, earning considerable success in the 1970s and 80s. From 1974 to 1987, the band had 10 straight studio albums certified either platinum or gold, including the multi-platinum “Red Octopus,” which reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200. 67 2014 MEDIA EXPOSURE The Travelers Championship is broadcast nationally on Golf Channel and CBS and available to 115 million homes in the U.S. and more than 224 countries & territories and 500 million households around the world. In addition, the tournament receives tremendous local television coverage, including live morning show broadcasts and sports features by all four networks. As for radio support, the tournament receives a wide variety of local and national radio coverage, which includes LIVE on-site broadcasts from ESPN Radio and WFAN. 8 2015 SPRING INTERNSHIP PROGRAM OVERVIEW 2015 SPRING INTERNSHIP PROGRAM OVERVIEW The tournament seeks talented college students searching for a dynamic internship experience. Interns will have hands-on experience in a variety of efforts that go into organizing a professional sports event, including marketing, sponsorship sales, operations, community relations and tickets. The Travelers Championship internship program is a great opportunity for a student looking to build solid experience in sports management. Candidates should also be highly motivated, detail-oriented, dependable, and a team-oriented self-starter. A Travelers Championship intern will receive the advantage of learning in a professional, results-driven atmosphere with experienced team members. TIME COMMITMENT Students may receive course credit during the academic year. A set schedule is required, and will be developed after the student's course schedule is finalized. The nature of this program is that internship hours may be less demanding earlier in the year, with intensity increasing as the tournament nears. The tournament does require an extensive time commitment and the staff will work with each student to work out a schedule that is appropriate for each individual. Spring Semester (Full-Time and Part-Time Internships) From start of the Spring Semester – July 18, 2015 interns must be willing to commit to occasional weekends and evenings, including Memorial Day. Interns must be available daily from May 25 – July 18, 2015 and students are expected to be available weekends leading up to and during tournament week (June 22-28, 2015). Summer (Full-Time Internships) Full-Time internships are available from May 18 – July 18, 2015 on the tournament operations team.